Amelia Franken, Shawnee High School’s senior class president, referred to the Philadelphia Eagles during her address to fellow graduates at commencement on June 17. The students (right) later walked along the football field to collect their diplomas.
Shawnee High School class of 2025 graduates, “You cannot be great without the greatness of others.”
So Amelia Franken told her fellow graduates on June 17, during her speech as senior class president, a role she had for four years. The phrase was coined by Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni after the team’s Super Bowl championship win earlier this year.
“Each of the 350 individuals that sit before me played an integral role in shaping our Shawnee experience,” Franken said. “This past year was the championship year for the Eagles, yet it was their only second victory in 93 seasons as a team, meaning for 91 out of 93 seasons, they weren’t victorious.
“Nonetheless they had loyal fans that persisted,” Franken reminded the graduation crowd, “diehards that watched loss after gruesome and boring loss.”
The class of 2025 also faced numerous hardships together, Franken recounted, like navigating COVID from middle school on to experiencing all the firsts of high school together.
“Our greatness was defined in our ability to uplift together, yet to discover a community that allows you to thrive and exceed expectations,” she noted, thanking her family’s support on her journey. “Know that our journey is just getting started and we have yet to meet the majority of the people that will fill hours of our lives.
“When we all reach a self-level understanding that accounts for our own greatness,” she offered, “our discovery is in service to those who have yet to find their way to those sweet championship moments. When you uncover that sense of greatness – or maybe you already have – you musn’t withhold it from others.
“… Through truth, collaboration, understanding and ambition we have the power to use our greatness to finally change this world. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Principal Matthew Campbell welcomed family and friends to the football field commencement. The school’s band led the processional and the senior Shawnee Singers sang the national anthem.
Franken was followed by student speakers James DiBlasi and Taylor O’Brien.
“Twenty years from now, we will have all different lives, different definitions of success and different perspectives,” DiBlasi offered, noting exposures to different yet valuable experiences. ” … That’s the beautiful experience about life. There’s no correct way to live it, just (like) there’s no correct place to put the sun …
“Hope you find your spot.”
O’Brien told her peers the inevitability of change is not something to fear, but rather embrace. After Heather Zenakis, director of curriculum and instruction, presented the certification of the class of 2025 and the passing of the flag, Franken led the customary tassel turning from right to left.
